Daylight Savings Time officially started back in October but the extra hours of sunlight are only just now kicking in. So now the sun is going to start setting around the time you’re already home and dinner has wrapped up.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/03/dont-let-daylight-saving-time-screw-up-your-international-travel/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/gs4d617wpihpjf1dtzzy.jpg” title=”Don’t Let Daylight Saving Time Screw Up Your International Travel” excerpt=”You may have heard that Daylight Saving Time started over the weekend in the United States. Several countries observe Daylight Saving Time, and not everyone does it at the same time.”]
Now that we are well into Daylight Savings Time it is also a good time to remind yourself to do a handful of other maintenance-type jobs around the house as well. While you have a few extra hours of sunlight in the evening why not check some maintenance around the house:
Check Your Smoke Alarms
You know how your smoke alarm always ends up running out of battery in the middle of the night, most of often the middle of the night when you really needed to get some sleep? Save yourself the future hassle and use Daylight Savings Time as an opportunity to check to make sure your smoke detectors are working and pop in a fresh set of batteries.
Two-thirds of all fire deaths happen in homes where the smoke alarms aren’t working (or aren’t even there in the first place). Use Daylight Savings Time as your reminder to check on yours.
Reverse Your Ceiling Fan
Ceiling fans can actually spin in two different directions. In the summer, you want the fan’s blade to spin counter-clockwise which pushes air down. In the winter, it’s better for your fan to spin clockwise, which will pull the cold air up.
Daylight Savings Time is a great time for you to take a few minutes to dust those fan blades. While you’re cleaning, flip the switch on the side of your fan to reverse the blades.
Summer is going to be scorching this year, just like the last, so make sure your fan is set to ‘summer’ mode for the warmer nights to come.
Replace Your Air Filters
You’re about to turn on your air conditioning if you haven’t already. Use Daylight Savings Time as an opportunity to check on your air filters.
If you haven’t swapped them out in a while, they’re likely full of dust which can be a fire hazard and at a minus is going to prevent your air con from working as well as it could.
Check Your Gutters
You know when you don’t want to clean your gutters? Before summer is the best time. Hop up on a ladder this weekend and see what your current gutter situation is (or make an appointment for someone else to). Cleaning out all those dead leaves and debris is going to be much easier now than it will be a month from now. Save yourself the hassle by planning ahead.
Gutters full of dead leaves can also be a fire hazard, so take the precaution now before fire season starts.
Check On Your Emergency Kit
Everyone should have an emergency kit handy with some non-perishable food and first-aid supplies should something like an earthquake, hurricane, or other disaster occurs.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/10/check-your-emergency-supplies-now/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/umiobtjthu9g0acgv4zd.jpg” title=”Check Your Emergency Supplies Now” excerpt=”Hey there preppers! Remember when we talked about Doomsday Prepping for Non-Paranoid People? About how, in these uncertain times, we should all have a well-stocked emergency kit, or in my case, an emergency cabinet? If you acquired the basics of water, food and gear six months ago, now is the the time to open your kit and check that your supplies are still functional, edible and potable. You don’t want to want to be mid-disaster and realise your batteries leaked corroded crusty goo all over the Kind bars.”]
Use Daylight Savings Time to make sure your home emergency kit is fully stocked. If you ended up breaking into your stash during a summer bush fire or the like, make sure you’ve replaced everything you’ve used so you’re prepared for the next one.
Now is also a good time to swap out those canned goods for some that are a little fresher and revise your evacuation plans with loved ones. Assign tasks and pick out your desired items to take with you in case of an emergency evacuation. (Don’t forget to assign someone to round up the pets as well.)
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